


Young Justice Outsiders Redux - The Story of Grant Wilson

by ClockworkFirefly



Series: Young Justice Outsiders Redux [1]
Category: DCU, Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Gen, Headcanon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-09-26
Packaged: 2019-11-18 07:50:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18116477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClockworkFirefly/pseuds/ClockworkFirefly
Summary: Set on an alternate universe similar to Young Justice's Earth-16 (Think Earth-16.5). Miss Martian, Superboy, and the rest of The Team strive to stop meta-human trafficking operations with the assistance of a new ally named Grant Wilson, who has taken up the mantle of Nightwing from Dick Grayson.





	1. Introduction

Hello to all Young Justice fans who read this!

My name is ClockworkFirefly (You can call me Clock, Firefly, CF, etc.) and this is my very first time posting fanfiction online for public viewing! I have been a loyal fan to this website for about two to three years and I have always enjoyed reading what kinds of interesting fanfiction there is in our community. After much debating, I decided to finally create an account to post my very own fanfiction works. Now before I explain the general ideas and concepts of this series, I'd like to say a couple quick things.

 **1.)** Criticism is very much welcome. I won't be some pompous, obnoxious egotist like Butch Hartman who thinks _"If you haven't created any art, you shouldn't criticize me."_ I personally believe that criticism is meant to help creators learn about some of the mistakes they made and help them improve for future works. On that notion, any constructive criticism is welcome and since this is my very first fanfiction attempt, I won't attempt to hide that this won't be perfect or on-par with the writing of Greg Weisman.

 **2.)** If you have any suggestions for me story-wise or character-wise, please let me know via the comments or send me a direct message. I'll always make a point to respond to anyone who wishes to send me a comment or suggestion, so don't be shy!

 **3.)** Beware of spoilers if you haven't watched any Young Justice: Outsiders yet, I'm putting that out there now.

Alrighty then, since all that stuff is out of the way, I bet you are wondering what this series will be about? Well, if you haven't read the summary, I will give you a bit more of an expanded rundown.

Firstly, this is set in an alternate universe parallel to Earth-16 (I like to think of it as Earth 16.5), so none of this will be canon to the show's proper. Some minor things will be changed to the show's plot-line as well to help carry my story better flow and character-wise. I won't give away some of the concepts, but let's just say I think some are well-needed and some are a tad surprising.

Next, arguably the most important factor to this fanfiction series will be the main character himself... Grant J. Wilson. In the main DC Comics continuity, Grant is Slade Wilson's eldest son who takes on the mantle of Ravager and dies attempting to assassinate the Teen Titans (As for Grant becoming Ravager in this series? #NoSpoilers). However, for Earth 16.5, Grant Wilson is given a  ** _much more_** different personality compared to the comic book portrayal. In the comics, Grant's a cold-hearted, bloodthirsty, and utterly ruthless assassin who wishes to follow in his even more villainous father's footsteps. He was someone who didn't respect anyone other than his father and chose to go down a path of villainy and selfish interest. 

Grant Wilson in Earth-16.5 is the complete opposite. 

This incarnation of Grant Wilson is a cheerful, bumbling, and quirky oddball who keeps in touch with his childish side. Completely buffoonish, offbeat, and downright bonkers, Grant acts like an eccentric, hyperactive manchild around others which contrasts heavily to his more serious predecessor. Grant makes it quite clear he doesn't know what he's doing all the time and has the tendency to get himself into accidents and make awkward and clumsy mistakes. However, what Grant makes up for in gracefulness and maturity, he makes up with his genuine kindness, empathy, and compassion. He's a kind-hearted, whimsical, and fun-loving soul who looks out for his teammates (who he considers more like family) and tries to remain optimistic even in the most dire situations. At the end of the day, Grant does know how to lead the team effectively and cares a great deal about others' needs and concerns over his own.

This will act as an interesting contrast to the more strict and driven Dick Grayson as Grant is taking over his mantle as _Nightwing._ Having two Nightwings may come off as confusing at first to many, but The Team soon learns that it isn't that hard to distinguish the two. Without giving too much away, Dick and Grant's interactions will be incredibly important to the story along with the many other team members Grant will meet ( _Minor Spoiler Alert:_ Grant and Tim can't  **STAND** each other). 

And that's all I will disclose with you all for now to keep the element of surprise! I can't tell you how freaking excited I am to take this incredible journey with all of you through the world of fanfiction. I promise this story will be begin soon and be updately regularly, so you don't just have to read an introduction. Remember to message for any new concepts or constructive criticism and hopefully you'll enjoy this as much as I will! 

\- Peace, love, and life! 

ClockworkFirefly


	2. Young Justice Outsiders Redux - New Allies Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's where our adventure begins!  
> Set during the events of Princes All, The Team meets a new "interesting" member who will change their lives for better or for worse.

**THE WATCHTOWER**  
July 27, 19:57 EDT

It seemed like it was going to be a normal day.

Everyone on The Team was being debriefing by Miss Martian after a successful mission in Bialya. M'gann has been leading The Team for at least a year now and was doing an efficient and credible job in many heroes' eyes. The entire team was at The Watchtower along with their leader M'gann and her boyfriend Superboy discussing how the mission went and how it could've gone. Both M'gann and Conner have been on The Team for a very long time and being the senior members, they seemed like the logical choice to take over for Kaldur and Barbara after the former's promotion and the latter's "incident". 

The Team is suddenly interrupted by the sounds of the Zeta-Tubes being activated as two Justice League members, Black Lightning and Steel, entered The Watchtower. However, the latter was not dressed in his superhero outfit as they both walked solemnly to the meeting room of The Watchtower. One of the members of The Team, Wonder Girl asks his protege Static why he isn't in costume, which leads to him looking somewhat uncomfortable at bringing up what happened earlier to the seasoned hero. 

"Well, that's everyone but the League's fearless leader" said Kid Flash in a jovial tone.

Speaking of which, here's where Kaldur enters our story.

 _Recognized._  
_Aquaman, 27._

"And speak of the devil!"

The Atlantean superhero is transported into The Watchtower with a calm, stoic impression on his face. Ever since the original protector of Atlantis retired to be with his family more, Kaldur was understandably intimidated by the idea of taking over for such an important figure in his life. However, he was able to put up a collected yet approachable façade around others to show that he was worthy of being the new leader of the Justice League. As he was walking over to M'gann, Conner, and the rest of The Team, M'gann could notice that something was going on through Kaldur's mind as he began to speak.

"Good morning everyone" he said in a tranquil tone. M'gann felt like Kaldur seemed like he had something big on his platter just by the way he spoke, but she thought that was none of her business.

"Before I commission the emergency meeting that has been called for the Justice League, I felt like I had to share some interesting news with all of you". 

Everyone on The Team ranging from the enthusiastic Kid Flash to the bubbly Wonder Girl exchanged looks of confusion as the sound of the Zeta-Tubes being activated suddenly gained the attention of everyone in The Watchtower.

 _Recognized._  
_Nightwing, B30._

"Wait, did it just say _Nightwing_?" asked Robin, who was understandably confused by all of this. Tim was hands-down the most puzzled by this since he was incredibly close with the original Nightwing, Dick Grayson who made it quite clear he didn't want to come back to The Team for a _long_ time.

However, this Nightwing isn't exactly the same Dick Grayson we have all known to love.

Coming out of the Zeta-Tube was a young man carrying two suitcases and a knapsack as he quite awkwardly bumbled through The Watchtower. He seemed to be around the original Nightwing's age and was rather skinny and lanky when compared to the more toned, muscular Dick Grayson. He had a haircut similar to that of a member from The Beatles and a long, pointed nose that could easily poke someone's eye out. He also wore a navy blue sweater with a red bow-tie with white polka-dots, a pair of dark brown jeans, and a pair of red sneakers. As this strange individual was making towards The Team, he proceeded to drop a container he was carrying under his arm with what appeared to be food all over the steps leading towards the middle of The Watchtower.

"Good grief" the stranger said as he proceeded to try and pick up his food as he was still holding on to his luggage.

Now everyone on The Team, including their main supervisors Conner and M'gann, were looking at Kaldur with bewilderment as this mysterious person began up the now messy steps towards the others.

"Hello!" he said with a cheerful tone as he shook Kaldur's hand which caused him to drop his food container under his arm  _again._

"Team, I would like you all to meet your newest member, Grant Wilson".

"Good morning everyone! or at least I _think_ it's morning, I'm not so sure what the time-zone is up here" Grant said as he stared at his wristwatch confused.

The entire Team (especially Tim) were surprised by this new addition to their group. He didn't really seem like a superhero nor did it seem like he was prepared to take on the Nightwing mantle. 

"Anyways, I can't tell you all how very excited I am to be here. This place is much bigger than I expected it to be" Grant said as he did a complete 360 spin.

Despite her initial shock, M'gann decided to give this new team member a warm welcome as she put out her hand for a polite handshake.

"Welcome to The Team, it's nice to meet you. I'm M'gann but you can call me Megan if you would like".

Grant shook her hand as soon as he picked up his food, which meant that his hands were covered in some sort of mysterious brown-colored sauce.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that" he said sheepishly as they both wiped their hands down.

The Team didn't know what to make of this new member as Robin rested his face in his palm considering how inept and unskilled this new Nightwing seemed to be. Tim grew quite fond of the original Nightwing and came to see him as a surrogate older brother. However, with this more bungling, heavy-handed buffoon, he was starting to wonder why Dick, Kaldur, or anyone would have chosen this guy to become the next Nightwing.

"Actually M'gann, he's not just a new team member" said Kaldur.

"Oh?" M'gann asked both curious and perplexed by what this could mean.

"Mister Wilson here is going to be taking over the mantle of Nightwing _and_ co-leading The Team with you".

M'gann, Conner, and Tim's eyes both widened by the revelation of this news. M'gann was shocked that Kaldur or anyone really didn't run this by her nor was she informed by any new additions to The Team. Both Conner and Tim, who are both very good friends to Dick Grayson, were surprised that he didn't mention that he chose Grant to replace him as Nightwing.

"Wait, what happened to Dick?" asked Conner as Tim nodded along to his genuinely important question.

"Dick personally chose Mister Wilson here to become the second Nightwing after deciding to take on a case that involves meta-human trafficking" Kaldur said.

"Which is why I'm here to help" said Grant happily. "I know this may seem kind of odd for someone to take over a close friend's place, but I want all of you to know that I promise to be the best Nightwing I can be and honor Dick's name by taking his place on The Team as a leader".

"Yes, I have no doubt Dick chose you for a reason" said Kaldur. "Furthermore, the meta-human trafficking ring will be our main mission for the next couple weeks. I have reports that there are some potential dealings going on in meta-human children in Markovia, so I want-"

**"WHoOAGH!"**

Before anyone else could comment on what happened, Grant had promptly fallen off the elevated middle section of The Watchtower's base onto the floor below. Grant was trying to lean on one of the holographic screens that was displaying information about Markovia. Considering he has never really seen nor worked with the holographic screens at The Watchtower before, Grant had to learn the hard way not to lean on something that wasn't really there. As Kaldur and The Team run over to see if he's okay, they immediately lay their eyes on the now-embarrassed Grant covered in mysterious brown food sauce, various papers, and a pair of rubber duckie boxers lying on the floor with his luggage now everywhere. **  
**

"So what were we discussing?" Grant asked jokingly.

Yeah, this fella was going to be an intriguing addition to The Team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any constructive criticism or story ideas are welcome, please don't hold back.  
> I hope you all enjoyed reading this and hopefully stick around for what's coming up in the near future.


	3. Young Justice Outsiders Redux - New Allies Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Team are trying to get used to and assist their new team leader, Grant Wilson in settling into his new role as the newest incarnation of Nightwing and are about to be given some shocking news.

**THE WATCHTOWER**  
July 27, 20:50 EDT

The Team had been waiting in the middle of The Watchtower for a while now for a few reasons. First of all, they were all waiting to hear the results of the Justice League's emergency meeting that Kaldur was leading reluctantly. They were also waiting for Grant to get into his new suit that was supplied by Wayne Enterprises's science division. The suit itself was modified by some of the heroes to better fit the image of Nightwing with the logo and various specialized weapons personally made for Grant. Finally, The Team were all waiting to hear the rest of the mission that Kaldur was going to give to them before Grant clumsily fell and got his luggage everywhere.

Everyone on The Team was finding something to occupy themselves with for the time being. Tim and Cassie were discussing a lovely date they had last night, Jaime and Bart were talking about the latest episode of  _Space Trek 3016_ while Bart nibbled on some Chicken Whizzies he "scavenged" from Virgil, and Stephanie and Cissie were watching a video on Cissie's phone. However, M'gann was deep in thought about not only the inclusion of Grant on The Team without her being informed, but the idea of potentially having to share the leadership mantle with someone. She had just gotten used to the idea of leading The Team a while ago and didn't know how Grant would differ from her as a supervisor and mentor to the young heroes. As she was contemplating asking Dick later about the mystery of Grant, Conner came up to her after noticing her somberness from afar.

"Hey, are you alright? I would completely understand if you're feeling a bit uncomfortable" he said soothingly.

"I'm okay Conner, it's just that I'm not sure what to make of Grant. I've never heard of him before from Dick or anyone really. I just don't know if he seems qualified to be the next Nightwing".

"Dick wouldn't have sent him if he knew what he was doing" said Conner trying to assure her.

Suddenly, after overhearing their discussion, Tim decided to chime in on the situation with Grant.

"Conner, we're talking about a man who essentially _fell out of the Watchtower!_ " he said rather irritably.

This surprised his current and very loyal girlfriend Cassie along with a few other members of The Team. Tim was a serious, straight-laced student/protege of the Batman, but he was always such a polite, humble guy who barely lost his temper at anyone and always kept a cool head. 

"I-I'm sorry" Tim said ashamed of himself for snapping at Conner. "It's just that I'm a little annoyed that Dick wouldn't have had better judgment in picking a successor let alone pick someone like Grant".

"Oooooh, it sounds like someone is a bit jealous" said Bart teasingly as Jaime bopped him on the back of the head.

"Oh, stop that Bart!" said Cassie, "Tim, even if you are jealous that Grant is the next Nightwing, that doesn't mean Dick sees anything less in you nor questions your leadership skills. It's just that he wants to give someone else a chance to shine as a member of your... Bat Pack". 

Cassie smiled warmly at her worrisome boyfriend as she pecked him on the cheek. A couple catcalls and whistles were heard (mainly from Bart and Cissie), but it was very sweet of Cassie to assure Tim like that.

"Hey, speaking of Grant, where is he?" said Jaime.

"That's a good point, he's been gone for a while" said Conner as he briefly looked around The Watchtower.

"Ah, M'gann!" a voice shouted coming The Team's way. Everyone could tell that it was Grant as he had a very recognizable voice to him.

"Alright Grant, we must conti-" M'gann suddenly stopped as she turned around and saw that Grant was dressed in a costume.

_A gladiator costume._

Grant had black metallic body armor on his chest along with a fake plastic spear, a long flowing maroon cape, a large helmet with a red mohawk on the top, and a pair of knee-high sandals. The Team stared at him in bafflement as he was confused why he was being given such bizarre stares.

"Is something wrong?" he asked completely innocently. Utterly confused, M'gann pointed to his attire as both Conner and Tim rolled their eyes at Grant's ridiculous get-up. 

"Oh no! Did I get my grape juice on it?!" Grant asked worriedly as he began to ran back to the changing rooms in The Watchtower as M'gann grabbed his shoulder.

"N-no Grant, you were supposed to put on your Nightwing suit specifically made for covert-ops missions" she tried to say patiently.

"And what you're wearing just _might_ attract attention" said Tim in a sardonic tone.

Grant gave off a goofy, toothy grin as he ran back to the changing rooms like an excitable five-year old as he suddenly came back out dressed as a cowboy carrying a lasso and wearing a ridiculously over-the-top Stetson hat. 

M'gann, Conner, and Tim all shook their heads as Grant turned around to change once again only to come back out in a pink tutu, ballet slippers, and a plastic princess crown. This time, the entire Team shook their heads vigorously as he turned back around downtrodden as he finally thought he got the costume right. After a couple of outfit changes that ranged from a pirate, a knight, a rabbi, and an Elvis Presley impersonator, Grant finally settled on his Nightwing outfit. The costume consisted of a black unitard with a black domino mask, black knee-high boots with rubber soles, and a red insignia that went all the way to his shoulders and back. He also had a utility belt and a special holder on his back that carried two escrima sticks.

"Now I'm not sure about this one, but I'll gladly change again if you all-"

 **"NO!"** The Team said emphatically as all of the sudden, Batman, Green Arrow, and Black Lightning walked out of the meeting room of The Watchtower and walked into the Zeta-Tubes without even acknowledging their students. As Tim, Cissie, and Stephanie stared off perplexed by this, Kaldur came over looking dour as he had to deliver some bad news to The Team.

"Unfortunately, Batman, Green Arrow, Black Lightning, and various members of the Justice League have resigned from their positions" he said as the entire Team sans Grant were shocked by this. 

"What? They didn't even let us know!" said Cissie as Stephanie nodded in agreement.

"Why wouldn't have Batman said anything?" Tim said in a saddened, but curious tone.

"WOULD SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON?" Bart yelled as Kaldur put his fingers to his lips ordering them all to be quiet.

"Now I know this may seem difficult at the moment, but I need you all to strive on as the responsible and mature team you are. We will have to issue a statement to the public, so the League won't be held responsible for its former members' actions" Kaldur said in a sober voice as suddenly The Team's attention became focused on something else. Out of nowhere, Grant pulled out a banana from his utility belt and began to peel it until he noticed everyone looking at him.

"What? All of this talk about people leaving the Justice League made me a bit peckish" Grant replied as he began to eat his banana.

"Well, it's good to know we're in safe hands as well" Tim said as he once again rested his face in his palm exasperatedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said before, some things from the original episodes would be changed up a bit! I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter and stick around for what else is coming up.  
> NOTE: Grant's Nightwing costume is based of the New 52 Nightwing outfit.


	4. Young Justice Outsiders Redux - New Allies Part III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The conclusion of the first installment of the series! Expect most of the installments of YJOR to be in at least three or four segments.  
> As always, any criticism or ideas for future stories are welcome.

**THE WATCHTOWER**  
July 27, 21:00 EDT

The Team was still in shock and confusion over what they have just heard from Kaldur. Several members of the Justice League had quit their positions and left their proteges in the dark about their resignations. Tim, Cissie, and Stephanie were especially the most befuddled by this revelation as they all thought they were trusted enough to be informed, or even apart of their departures if needed. As Kaldur, M'gann, Conner, and the rest of The Team were discussing simultaneously what had just happened, Grant noticed that everyone seemed a little elevated as he reached into one of his compartments on his utility belt. Grant pulled out a blue and white striped recorder with a green end as he blew furiously into it, letting off a dreadful sound as everyone in The Watchtower grabbed their ears.

"Do I have everyone's attention?" Grant asked happily as he put the recorder back into his utility belt.

"Grant! Why on earth did you do that?!" asked M'gann as she was recovering from the recorder's terrible screeches. 

"Well, I had to get everyone's attention somehow!" he said with an upbeat fervor.

Tim was staring daggers at Grant as he was tempted to go over to him and knock him silly. Tim was usually a peaceful individual who chose to only fight during missions, but this imbecile was causing him to lose his patience fast. Cassie and Bart sensed this as they both gently held him back as he started to angrily walk towards Grant. 

"Anyways, we all need to sit back and calm down a bit. The senior members of the Justice League made sure to not tell you all about their resignations for most likely a good reason. They wouldn't keep you uninformed for no reason whatsoever, protecting each and every one of you is their top priority. You're all more than just students to your mentors, you're pretty much family to them. In good time you may find out why they chose to not say anything, but we have to focus on our missions at hand and be the best heroes we can be" said Grant quite seriously and passionately.

Everybody looked at Grant in surprise as they didn't expect such a poignant speech from him. Bart and Jaime shared looks of disbelief and amazement at Grant's shockingly intellectual nature while M'gann placed a hand on her hips smirking at her disclosure that Grant seemed prepared to be a leader next to her side.

Grant noticed that Tim was about to share his opinion on his little soap-box moment before he decided to say one last inspiring notion (mainly aimed at Tim).

"I'm not here to take Dick's place, you know, Tim. I'm not here to _be_ him. I don't expect anything, any consideration. I'm just here and while I'm here, I promise I will do everything I can to be as worthy of a hero as your friend is because that's what he is, not just your teammate and colleague. I'm sorry for Dick nor Batman not informing you anything. I truly am. But the thing is, I have a feeling I may need some help, and a great deal of it. You can decide if you like me afterwards". 

Tim looked at Grant with a look of soberness as Grant had a feeling his impromptu speech was able to speak to Tim. Grant smiled as The Team looked ready to take on the mission that Kaldur was previously discussing.

"Now before we begin, who wants a sandwich?" Grant said in his usual enthusiastic, childlike nature as he pulled out some bread and a butter-knife from his utility belt.

"What kind of sandwich?" Bart asked both eager and very interested.

"Sardine, potato chip, and mayonaisse!" Grant said cheerily as The Team all gagged at the mere mention of his horrendous sandwich.

It may take some time getting used to him, but Grant didn't seem like that bad of a choice to be the new Nightwing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter was so short, I wanted to release something to make sure no one thought I was dead. Expect the next installment, a few one-shots, and maybe even a separate WonderBird fanfic soon! 
> 
> \- Clock


	5. One-Shot: I Want It That Way (Based off of Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here is the first of hopefully many one-shots set within Earth 16.5! Like the title stated, this is based off my favorite scene in one of my new favorite TV series, Brooklyn Nine-Nine. For anyone who loves a show with really well-written jokes and very likeable, three-dimensional characters, this is the show for you.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1tofEyT8Jg
> 
> Here's the original scene I used essentially as a template for this one-shot.

**THE WATCHTOWER**  
August 05, 18:00 EDT

One week has passed since the arrival of the newest Nightwing, Grant Wilson and the departure of Batman, Green Arrow, and other members of the Justice League. For the most part, everyone was still trying to recover from the latter and trying to get used with the former's rather outlandish personality. In just one week of being apart of The Team, Grant has gotten his hand stuck in a toaster from the Justice League's Hall of Justice cafeteria, came to a mission briefing in a giant bunny suit because it was "eye-catching", and accidentally flashed the entire Team when he forgot to put on pants in the morning (and for the record, it's _much_ bigger than what Tim inquired). While he had his "eccentric" moments, Grant was nonetheless a very intelligent and instinctive tactician who had moments of incredible perception despite having the mentality of a rambunctious man-child.

The Team and Grant's fellow supervisors, M'gann and Conner, were currently at The Watchtower discussing something intriguing Grant found while on a scouting mission with Traci, Stephanie, and Virgil. On display on the holographic screens was an old piece of paper Grant reportedly "found" that had various writings and scribbles on it. Everyone on The Team was trying to decipher what this mysterious paper could mean, no one knew if this was an old note Grant found or something more important than expected. 

"That's it!" Grant said excitedly as he began to jump up and down like an exhilarated child who had just entered a toy store.

"Well, what is it Grant?" Conner said slightly annoyed at Grant's childishness.

"The scribbles can resemble musical notes if you slightly alter the lines via the computer's systems" Grant said as he quickly touched a few buttons on the holographic screen to turn the once unreadable doodles into musical notes one would see on from sheet music when playing an instrument or singing a song.

"Perhaps this is a musical puzzle of sorts?" said Traci 

"Like from _The Goonies_!" Bart exclaimed as he has become a huge movie buff thanks to Jaime.

"Who would have left a musical puzzle at the scene of an abandoned hideout from Count Vertigo?" asked M'gann confusedly. 

"I don't know" Grant inquired as he stared at the notes closely when he suddenly began to snap his fingers at rapid-fire speed.

"I know this song! I may need some help from you guys though" he said as he pointed to the members of The Team.

"Whatever you need to help solve this Grant" said Cassie helpfully. 

"Virgil, could you sing the opening to I Want It That Way by Backstreet Boys?"

There was a long silence as Conner, M'gann, and The Team looked at Grant with a look of utter discombobulation. 

"Really?" asked Virgil with a understandably baffled tone

"Please do as I asked Virgil, this is incredibly vital to our current investigation" said Grant with the uttermost seriousness.

"... okay." 

There was a slight pause as Virgil was contemplating whether Grant was trying to solve this case with a rather unorthodox procedure or just plain nuttier than a box of peanut brittle.

_"You are... my fire?"_

"Cassie, keep it going" Grant said as he pointed to her.

"Uh... _The one... desire?"_

 _"_ Jaime"

_"Believe... when I say..."_

"Bart"

_"I want it... that way..."_

_"Tell me why?!"_ Grant sang/shouted as he pointed at the entire Team as they **all** began to sing the classic 1990's boy band hit.

_"Ain't nothing but a heartache..."_

_"TELL ME WHY?!"_

"Ain't nothing but a mistake..."

 _"Now Timmy Tim..."_ said Grant as he did a complete twirl and pointed to Tim.

 _"I never want to hear you saaaaaay"_ sang Tim with a surprising amount of effort.

_**"WOO!"** _

_"I want it that waaaaaaay..."_

"Ah, chills! Literal chills!" Grant said as M'gann and Conner looked at each other both with bemused glances.

"Grant, what was the point of that?" asked Conner as M'gann nodded to his question.

"There wasn't one! I "planted" that paper early on during the scouting mission to throw everyone off" Grant said wholeheartedly.

"Why would you do that?" M'gann questioned both annoyed and dumbfounded by Grant's idiocy.

"I just wanted to mess with everyone" Grant said smiling as he reveals his phone was _recording the entire bit_ from a secret compartment from his utility belt.

"Dick, Kaldur, and the League are going to LOVE this."

...

To this day, it's said that The Team are still chasing Grant around The Watchtower for that footage. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I can't tell you how ecstatic I am that I finally got through my first episode! I truly owe it to all of you guys though for reading, liking, and overall choosing to stay on and enjoy the adventures and misadventures of Grant Wilson.
> 
> For those wondering what's coming up in the near future, here's what is currently in the pipeline:  
> \- Dick and Grant will officially meet in the next installment.  
> \- The Outsiders will be introduced and meet our work alongside our protagonist.  
> \- Grant's family, specifically Deathstroke, Jericho, and Ravager, will be joining the series soon.  
> \- Grant's relationships with Dick, Tim, and a recently-resurrected friend of theirs will be explored more.  
> \- As for Grant becoming Ravager? Wait and see
> 
> On a side note, I Want It That Way is the greatest song of all-time and I will FIGHT anyone who disagrees.
> 
> \- Clock


	6. Young Justice Outsiders Redux - Brother in Arms I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Grant starts to get settled into his new position as The Team's newest incarnation of Nightwing and their newest supervisor, a familiar face comes to The Watchtower to personally enlist his assistance in an upcoming mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dick Grayson - The serious, stone-faced, yet charming natural leader and ladies' man whose incredibly mature and can keep a straight face in any situation.  
> Grant Wilson - The childish, exuberant, and emotionally unpredictable crackpot who can't act his own age and wears his heart on his sleeve.
> 
> How bad could this be?

**THE WATCHTOWER**  
August 06, 21:35 EDT

The Watchtower was quiet and for the most part, barely inhabited minus two young heroes staring outside at the unending spectacle that is space. One of them was a thin, yet well-built teenage boy wearing a red and black suit with a flowing cape specifically made with a black hood with yellow lining. Next to him was an incredibly muscular teenage girl wearing a black sleeve-less top with two stylized golden W's on it. These two were Robin and Wonder Girl, but better known as Tim Drake and Cassie Sandsmark by their teammates. The two heroes have been dating for at least two years now, ever since the untimely death of a certain young speedster. As they were looking out at the alluring sight of the never-ending scale of space, the two of them were holding each other's hands as Cassie noticed something off about her boyfriend. Tim seemed rather tense and looked like he had something boiling in his blood, and despite what he tries to imply, Tim was an easy person to read.

"Hey Tim? Is everything okay?" Cassie asked gently as she placed her available hand on his shoulder.

"...Y-yeah Cassie, I'm just a little out of it at the moment" Tim tried to say as impassive, yet not unwelcoming as he could.

Cassie immediately sensed that he was lying and raised one of her eyebrows at him to essentially say "Spill dude, I can easily get whatever your hiding out of you".

Tim sighed as he said "I know he's only been around for about two weeks, but I'm still trying to get used to Grant being our new team leader".

"I know Grant is a little... out there, but he's a super sweet guy and seems to know what he's doing" Cassie said trying to comforting him.

Tim proceeded to raise one of his eyebrows at her to make a face that pretty much said "Please tell me you're joking".

"Okay, Grant doesn't seem like he knows what he's doing all the time. In just this past weekend, he gave the entire Team food poisoning with his homemade blackberry muffins and came to yesterday's mission briefing playing an accordion".

"And don't forget the time he accidentally shot me in the foot with his make-shift shotgun" Tim said grumpily as he took off his boot to display a rather nasty, stitched-up scar on his foot.

"I thought that was supposed to be a stun gun of sorts" Cassie asked looking at Tim's injury with disgust.

"It was, but Grant's not exactly Thomas Edison" Tim said as he proceeded to put his boot back on.

"Don't lose any sleep over Grant" said Cassie as she happily pecked him on the cheek, "He may seem a bit goofy, but he's got a really smart mind underneath all of that silliness".

All of the sudden, M'gann came over the speaker as she asked the entire Team to be summoned for a quick briefing on their newest mission plans. Cassie and Tim walked into the middle of The Watchtower to see Bart joking around with Jaime as the latter was wondering why he even considered going out on a date with him. 

"C'mon, you know that you love me hermano" Bart teasingly said as he pinched Jaime's cheek.

"Bart, I wouldn't hesitate killing you in front of everyone right now" Jaime said without even breaking his glance on M'gann starting up the computers.

Bart chuckled as he proceeded to mess around with Jaime a little bit more. As Tim and Cassie both looked around, they saw Traci and Virgil surfing the internet on their phones while Stephanie and Cissie were discussing whether or not they should ask the latter's father if the former could spend the night at her home. Conner came around the holographic computers trying to help M'gann start them up as she started to wrangle her team all in.

"Alright, time to listen up everyone. We've just gotten reports of some more meta-human trafficking cases that range all the way from Gotham City to Fawcett City. For Alpha Squad, I want Robin, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, and Blue Beetle to head to Gotham City to-"

The sounds of the Zeta-Tubes being activated interrupted the current mission briefing as Grant was coming out trying to put on his suit while carrying a bottle of orange juice and with a piece of toast in his mouth. Grant ran over quickly to his team as he gobbled up his breakfast and drank the rest of his juice before throwing the bottle to the side.

"Good morning everyone! I woke up a bit late unfortunately" Grant said with a slightly bashful smile on his face.

"Grant, wouldn't it be like 9:30 at night in your time zone?" asked M'gann.

Muddled by this, Grant looked at his wristwatch as he proceeded to smack it a couple times before giving up.

"Well, I guess I need to buy a new watch then. I got this for only three bucks from some old guy named Tulio in the back alley of a Big Belly Burger" said Grant innocently as his team looked at him with mildly piqued interests.

"What? I'm cheap, I don't exactly come from a rich billionaire nor did I inherit a company from my father" he said crossing his arms like a petulant toddler.

"Anyways, you four will head to Gotham City to break up a potential trafficking operation led by Bane and some of his goons from Santa Prisca while Static, Thirteen, Spoiler, and Arrowette will be Beta Squad and will head to Fawcett City to assist in the protection of the mayor of the city in him leading a set-up to take down some of Queen Bee's operatives" M'gann said while displaying pictures of the various places and people they will encounter today on their missions.

"If anyone has any questions or need extra assistance from either me or M'gann, you can always use your comps to call us if needed" stated Conner.

"That will be all, good luck to all of you" M'gann said sincerely as everyone began to walk away after being dismissed until they heard Grant rather pathetically whistling for everyone to stop.

"Grant, your whistle sounds like a dying muskrat being thrown into a meat grinder" Tim said sarcastically as his fellow teammates started to mildly chuckle at his quip.

"Tim, I will  _come over there"_ Grant said rather irritated as he slowly began to walk over to Tim. As much as he was a friendly and fun-loving guy, Grant didn't necessarily like Tim all the time considering he always made fun of him and provided snarky, irritating commentary to his usual shenanigans. 

"That's enough boys" M'gann said sternly as she held back her partner by grabbing his wrist. "What was it you forgot to mention Grant?"

"Well, I know that these meta-human trafficking missions have been a bit of a hassle recently and a lot of you have came back seeming rather tired by all of this, so I made a quick call to someone I've technically not met yet in the flesh to aid us on these next couple missions".

The Team, M'gann, and Conner all shared stupefied glances at each other when all of the sudden, a familiar figure came around the corner of one of the computers.

The figure was a tall, very heavily-built young adult male with flowing black hair that hung past his ears. The uniform he wore comprised of a black unitard, black shoulder pads, black ankle-high boots, and gloves that had a special wrist computers equipped on them. The chest area of his uniform is emblazoned with a blue bird with its wings expanded and his abdomen area is colored in a lighter grey. For anyone who had been on The Team for a long time, this handsome individual was Dick Grayson, who was the very first Robin and the very first Nightwing. He walked over to his successor as Grant wrapped an arm around his broad shoulders (much to Dick's confusion). From just a stray observation, there were many differences between the two Nightwings with Dick having a good two to three inches on Grant, a much more sleek and well-trimmed haircut compared to Grant's scruffy Paul McCartney-esque hairdo, and even the way they stood with Dick standing up straight while Grant leaned on his good-postured predecessor while slouching slightly. 

As everyone gazed flabbergasted at the return of their old friend, Dick shot everyone a slightly cocky smirk as Grant merrily grinned at being in the presence of his precursor. 

"This is going to be fun!" Grant said exhilarated as Dick wondered in his mind what he's gotten himself into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the start to a beautiful friendship between two polar opposites. I can't wait to dive into the odd couple that is Dick Grayson and Grant Wilson. These two don't know it yet, but they're going to become closer than anyone ever expected them to be. For a little teaser on what the duo will be like, if you remember the dynamic and chemistry between the classic twosome of Nickelodeon's Drake and Josh (the GREATEST kids' sitcom of all-time), then you have a good feeling what these two will be like together.
> 
> Stay tuned for more my friends!
> 
> \- Clock


	7. Young Justice Outsiders Redux - Brother in Arms II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick returns to The Watchtower as the original Nightwing and offers M'gann and The Team an offer that couldn't possibly refuse.

**THE WATCHTOWER**  
August 06, 21:40 EDT

“Dick? What are you doing here?” Conner asked as he walked over to his old colleague. Dick gave him a kindly smile as he placed a hand on Grant’s shoulder. Grant was utterly ecstatic at the idea of working with the man who chose him to take over the mantle of Nightwing. He could barely contain his excitement until Dick shot him a quick look that said “Please don’t say or do anything weird”.

“My replacement here stated that The Team needed some extra assistance on these meta-human trafficking missions. Considering we all have a similar goal in taking down whoever runs these operations, I thought it was finally time for me to lend a hand after all these years”.

M’gann was rather annoyed by this, no one has been informing her about anything recently with the recent addition to Grant to The Team and now Dick wanting back on rejoin her team as well. Did Kaldur and The Justice League not trust her leadership skills or was it something else?

“Look Dick, while it’s really nice to see you and I appreciate your offer, I think my team can handle this perfectly by ourselves” said M’gann trying her best to come off serious, but not ungrateful.

“How did you even get into The Watchtower? Didn’t the League revoke your designation after your resignation from The Team?” asked Conner.

“I hacked the Justice League computers” Dick said with a humorous tone in his voice, “You should know by now that’s one of my specialities”.

“Anyways M’gann, it never hurts to have a little extra help, plus I also have a couple new friends that could greatly aid our cause” Dick said as he pulled up a picture of his newest recruits of his black-ops team on the screen.

“This is Brion, Violet, and Forager. I have personally asked them if they would be interested in joining forces with The Team in the near future. They’re all really good kids and have incredible abilities that would be a formidable force against potential obstacles”.

The Team (especially Bart, Cassie, and Traci) were extremely excited by the prospect of potential new members while Jaime wondered why one of Dick’s recruits looked like a giant tomato with eyes wearing armor. Conner personally knew Brion, Violet, and Forager and agreed with Dick that while they were all neophytes to the superhero game, they would be great additional reinforcements to The Team.

“So what do you say? Do you think it’s alright if me and my new squad join forces with your team?” Dick asked as he reached out his hand to M’gann for a handshake. M’gann cared deeply for Dick and trusted his judgements immensely, but was still miffed that he sprouted this offer on her on such short notice. However, after some brief hesitation, she extended her hand to shake Dick’s hand.

“Alright, if you truly think your recruits can be of help to taking down these traffickers, then I guess it’s okay” said M’gann.

Before Dick could respond, Grant enthusiastically picked up Dick from behind and gave him a hug tighter than an industrial vise. Dick was completely startled by Grant’s surprise attack hug and great feat of strength as he struggled to get out of his grip. M’gann and Conner smiled at Grant’s child-like eagerness as the two of them have gotten used to his antics in these past couple days.

“Dude! What are you doing?!” Dick asked Grant as he tried to compose himself after being crushed in Grant’s arms.

“Come on Dickie baby! I got to give my new partner a hug!” Grant stated slightly upset that Dick didn’t seem to enjoy his jovial embrace.

“Please keep hugs like that to a minimum, I don’t think my ribcage can handle that much pressure” said Dick as he rubbed his sides.

“As I was saying earlier everyone, I wish you the best of luck out on your missions. Please be careful and contact me, Conner, Grant, or now Dick if needed” M’gann said which led to everyone seperating to go on their assignments minus Tim who stayed back for a moment.

“Give me a quick minute guys, I want to ask Dick something real quick” Tim said to his squad as Cassie, Jaime, and Bart nodded and they went through the Zeta-Tubes.

Tim briefly looked over at Grant who was working on one of the holographic screens a bit far away from Dick, Conner, and M’gann. Tim didn't want Grant listening to his question as it was about him and it was frankly not the politest question in the world.

“Dick, you’re my friend and teammate and I try my best to keep a clear judgement on whatever you decide, _but why on Earth did you choose such a nitwit to take over for you?!_ ” 

Conner and M’gann both shot Tim a displeased glare that was essentially trying to get him to be quiet. However, Dick looked quite understanding to Tim’s genuinely legitimate point as he let out a small, subtle sigh.

“I picked Grant for a reason and it may seem hard to see at the moment, but he’s much more intelligent than he’s letting on. Grant is able to provide factors that I could never have given The Team when I was originally leading them. I see great potential in him as I saw in you when you first became Robin. Please keep trying to have faith in Grant despite his occasional ridiculousness”.

Before Tim could respond, a strong, repugnant aroma came through The Watchtower as everyone turned to Grant to see him eating something. He looked to be eating something similar to a sandwich, but it was filled with so many absurd foods that it probably didn’t count as a sandwich.

“Grant! What are you eating?” Conner asked as he and M’gann pinched their noses while Tim began to gag at the revolting stench.

“I’m having an early lunch! It’s a honey ham, red licorice, cheddar cheese, and Oreo sandwich spread with creamy peanut butter, hummus, and hot sauce on an onion bagel!” Grant said gleefully as he took a messy bite into his monstrosity.

As Dick pinched the bridge of his nose, he was starting to wonder if he should be institutionalized for some of his decisions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, I have never ate a sandwich as repulsive as Grant's, but I love anything with peanut butter or Oreos like him as well.
> 
> Thank you to all who read this and stay tuned for more fun with The Team in the future!


	8. Young Justice Outsiders Redux - Brother in Arms III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Team are officially introduced to the Outsiders as Grant learns of a stunning revelation that could change everything.

**GOTHAM CITY**  
August 07, 08:00 EDT

In the lower-class areas of Gotham City, there were no elegant mansions or financially privileged families. Many people lived in small, limited places that ranged from dilapidated trailer homes to houses that could barely fit one person let alone families with various children. On the corner of Gaiman Avenue was a small apartment complex that was made up of four stories and a ground floor. The building itself was old and coming apart with a few windows broken and graffiti of gang symbols and expletive-laced lyrics from profane rap songs all over the walls. On the top floor in Apartment 4C lived Grant Wilson since the rent was incredibly cheap and no one really had any interest in buying a home in such a rough neighborhood. In the living room was a large amount of half-eaten takeout containers on the table, various papers that ranged from bills to drawings scattered across the floor, and a pair of  _Rocky and Bullwinkle_ boxers draped over the television set. At the end of the hallway past the kitchen with pizza boxes stacked in the corner and the bathroom that smelt like the inside of a rotting corpse, there was an open door with a poster of the Justice League on it. Grant was lying in an unmade bed wearing his Nightwing suit as he forgot to take it off after the Team's debriefing. The bedroom floor was covered in comic books, science fiction novels, and DVDs of old movies as Grant's phone was ringing rapidly on the nightstand next to his bed.

"H-hello?" said Grant trying to wake up from his deep slumber.

"GRANT, YOU NIMROD!" Tim shouted, "YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE AT THE WATCHTOWER AN HOUR AGO!"

Grant immediately jumped out of bed as he began to run to the door while still on the phone with Tim.

"M'gann and Conner are super mad at you, Dick's new recruits are here and they wanted you to meet them at the same time as us".

"Well, I'm sorry if I couldn't be there on time! If I was still living at The Watchtower like I was before, then none of this would be happening! I still can't believe M'gann kicked me out of there after the whole grape jelly incident!"

Grant suddenly realized he couldn't run to the hidden Zeta-Tube located in an abandoned Gotham City subway dressed in his Nightwing outfit. He quickly changed out of his suit into a dull blue dress shirt and a neck-tie that had the solar system on it. Grant also put on a a pair of white khakis and a pair of black sneakers that made him look like a middle school science teacher. Grant threw his Nightwing suit into a backpack and proceeded to dash out of the door while cursing under his breath that he overslept again.

 **THE WATCHTOWER**  
August 07, 08:30 EDT

The Zeta-Tubes were starting to activate as Grant chose not to wait for them to finish and ran towards The Team in a rush. Before he could even fully take in his surroundings, Grant ran into Dick at full-speed causing the two to fall to the ground. Grant's backpack burst open at the impact to reveal his Nightwing outfit along with an assorted package of crayons, three bags of store-brand jelly beans, and a New Kids on the Block Greatest Hits CD. As Grant was starting to now notice the others around him, he saw an aggravated Dick Grayson giving him a mad glower for running into him along with Conner trying his best not to crack a smile at his mishap while M'gann helped them both up. The Team were staring (with some of them were trying not to burst out laughing) at the two laying on the ground trying to pick up Grant's belongings while Cassie tried to explain to the new recruits about Grant's "quirkiness".

"Watch where you're going next time!" Dick said understandably frustrated at the clumsiness of his successor.

"I'm sorry, I guess I was too busy trying to channel my inner Flash" said Grant trying to alleviate the tension between the duo.

"Anyways, try not to be late again next time. I want you to meet those new recruits I was telling everyone about yesterday". 

In the middle of The Watchtower were three young teenagers who were dressed in civilian wear rather than the average super-suits those up there would usually wear. The first individual was standing in a relaxed, but slightly elevated stance looking around his new surroundings alertly. He was rather thin despite having a fairly toned build and had long auburn sideburns that complimented his tan complexion. The only female of the group was a slender, olive-skinned teenage girl with brown eyes and wore a hijab to cover her head. She was staring at her potential new friends with wonder as she was very enthusiastic about being in a new place. The final new recruit stood out like a sore thumb as it was a stubby four-armed creature with a red exoskeleton and a metallic battle helmet. This mysterious alien was busy being prodded by Jaime and Bart about questions involving alien life that ranged from what they ate to how they used the bathroom. The lanky, side-burned teenager walked up to Grant with his arm extended for a handshake

"It's nice to meet you, I am Prince Brion-"

" _BWAHAHAHAHAHA!_ Oh my gosh! Do those things actually have a mind of their own?" Grant said insensitively in a loud, booming voice.

"Don't call those kids "things", Grant!" M'gann said upset and shocked at Grant's disrespectful comment.

"What? I wasn't calling the new kids "things". I was talking about this putz's Elvis-inspired mutton chops! I'm expecting them to jump off his face and go back to the lumberjack's face he stole them from!" He said pointing to Brion. 

Taking great offense to this joke, Brion's hot-headed nature revealed itself as he suddenly began to radiate steam from his head. Both Dick, Conner, and the two new recruits began to slowly back away as they've grown accustomed to what's about to happen next. However, before he could lash out and possibly injure someone, Grant pulled out a spatula and an egg from his backpack and proceeded to crack the egg over Brion's head.

"Hey, thanks Brian! I didn't eat any breakfast today and I needed to have something before I starved to death" said Grant cheerfully at the absolutely flabbergasted Brion.

Conner and M'gann shared looks at each other that were comparable to exasperated parents as The Team began to laugh at Brion's misfortune as Grant began to eat his finished fried egg off of the spatula. 

"Brion, please pardon Grant being himself" said M'gann trying to calm down the bad-tempered teenager. She was used to easing Brion's anger issues as he lived at her house with Conner in their guest room. Although she's still annoyed at him for burning down their backyard after chasing a squirrel, hence why she didn't acknowledge the kids much yesterday at the mission briefing.

"Grant, here are the other two kids, please don't offend them in any way" Conner stated in a mildly sarcastic tone.

"Hello, I am Violet" the girl meekly stated as Grant gently shook her hand.

"And I am Forager!" said the creature as he began to shake Grant's hand quite vigorously.

Not batting an eye at his appearance, Grant jovially played along with Forager's outlandish appearance and nature as he began to emphatically shake all four of his hands. 

"Alright, now that everyone is introduced to one another, we're gonna dig into some new information Aquaman and the League found" said Dick to the entire Team.

"They have recently discovered that a huge chunk of meta-human trafficking operations have connections to the League of Shadows" Conner said bringing up the nefarious organization's base.

"When we finally get the new super suits for Brion and Violet, I want Tim and Cassie to lead a squad of-" M'gann tried to say before she was suddenly cut off by Grant.

"Wait a minute, did you say the League of Shadows?" Grant said uncharacteristically worried at this.

M'gann gave him a nod as Grant's usual demeanor became a lot more grim and stone-faced at this revelation. Without explaining anything to Dick, Conner, M'gann, or The Team, Grant picked up his backpack and ran back to the Zeta-Tubes to head home.

"Grant? Where are you going?" Dick asked genuinely stunned as Grant refused to give him an answer as he disappeared in a flash.

 **GOTHAM CITY**  
August 07, 09:00 EDT

As Grant ran all the way back to his apartment, he swiftly inserted his key into the lock on the doorknob. Before he even fully opened it, Grant knew what was going to be behind that door and he wasn't too thrilled about it either. He slowly opened the door as quietly as he could and turned on the light-switch to reveal what he was unfortunately expecting all this time.

"Hey dad, I didn't know you would be in town". 


	9. Young Justice Outsiders Redux - Familial Love I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant and his father have a much needed discussion.

**GOTHAM CITY**  
August 07, 09:05 EDT

Grant and his father didn't have what one might call a "healthy relationship".

Standing in the middle of Grant's run-down apartment was a slender, yet very intimidating man who's back was coldly facing him. The mysterious man wore a suit of heavy black, gray, and orange armor with dark golden shoulder pads and matching-colored gauntlets. He was also wearing a mask made of a thin, fibrous cloth that obscured the right half of his face. Strapped to his back were two enormous looking swords that could easily cut through a man like melted butter. As he stood by Grant's sliding screen door calmly looking outside, the unfazed Grant made his way towards the kitchen without giving him much notice.

"Want something to drink? I've got some sodas and a half-gallon left of-"

"Don't distract me with your civilities boy"

"I'll take that as a no to the chocolate milk then" Grant said sarcastically as he sat on the couch.

"What do you want from me Dad? I doubt that you're here to take me on a father/son fishing trip"

Grant's father proceeded to take off his mask to reveal the face of someone who's not willing to play any games. He had a short, trimmed haircut and a full beard that was white as a fresh blanket of snow. He was missing his right eye and wore an black eye patch to conceal his wound. The remaining eye was of a dark blue color and was glaring at his son with an emotionless, unloving gaze.

"I'm here to offer you a deal" Grant's father stated as he sat down next to Grant on his couch.

"You were barely around all my life and now you're trying to make a bargain with me? Why don't you get one of your _other_ kids to bend to your will"

"You know that your sister is still in training and who knows where your brother is. Look, I understand that your little brigade has some intel on the The League of Shadows, so out of the kindness of my heart-"  

"KINDNESS OF YOUR HEART?!" Grant furiously said as he got up from the couch in anger.

"Yes, Deathstroke the Terminator has a heart" Grant's father said with a hint of sarcasm. 

"How do you even know about my affiliation with The Team anyway?"

"Son, I know _everything."_

"Don't call me that! You never earned the right to call me your son. I think it's for the best that you leave now"

"You don't even want to hear what I'm proposing to you?" Deathstroke stated attempting to display his more charismatic side.

"... what is it?" 

"Listen, I know about you being Grayson's replacement as Nightwing and how you're with the Justice League's covert ops team now. As much as it pains me to see you palling around with those knights in shining armor, I wanted to offer you a chance to stand down. The League of Shadows knows that Aquaman and the League were able to infiltrate one of our secret bases and steal information that rightfully belonged to us. Considering by now that you're of close relations with your team, I want you to cease any actions on attempting to take down my organization for now on and into the future. Please consider what you'd be getting your comrades into, they have no idea what they're going to be going up against."

"And if I say no?"

"Then I'll just leave, but be warned that this is the _only time_ I'll show mercy to you and your companions" Deathstroke said with a menacingly tone.

As much as Grant strongly disliked his father and wanted him to be put away in prison forever, he also knew that Deathstroke wasn't lying and he couldn't bear to think of his young friends (including Tim) getting hurt in any way thanks to him or his family. However, he also knew there was a mission at hand to take down any force of evil and unfortunately for Grant, his father was one of the biggest evils around. 

"I will _never_ agree to anything you say Dad" Grant defiantly said as he boldly got up in his face giving him a death glare. 

"Very well son, but be warned that I offered you a chance to back down and walk away, but instead you chose to do this the hard way"

"I always do it the hard way" said Grant as he gave him a slightly cocky smirk. 

As Deathstroke walked away from his son, a thought popped into his mind quickly. 

"Does Grayson or anyone in your little play group even know that you're the kin of the greatest assassin in the world?"

"Even if they did, they wouldn't bat an eye at it since I'm their friend and that's all that matters"

"Don't be too sure about that" Deathstroke stated as he pulled something from his pocket.

It was a small black box around the size of a brick and the length of a pencil. The ominous-looking package was concealed with a black covering that was tied around with a small piece of string. Deathstroke placed the box on Grant's coffee table as he began to walk towards his sliding screen door.

"That's a present for you, open it whenever you realize that your friends aren't as perfect as they seem. There's also one last thing I should mention before I leave your pigsty of an apartment"

"What's that?"

"You're an idiot"

And in the blink of an eye, Grant's father was gone. It was almost like he was there in his living room one moment and miles away with the snap of a finger. Grant picked up his father's "gift" and tossed it to the side.

"I need a freaking drink" Grant said as he left his apartment and slammed the door shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all who have been patient enough to stick around for this long. I'm currently planning on releasing more content frequently now, so expect the next chapter very soon!
> 
> #WeAreAllOutsiders


	10. Young Justice Outsiders Redux - Familial Love II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dick meets up with Grant to discuss some important subjects.

**GOTHAM CITY**  
August 07, 21:30 EDT

In the slums of Gotham City, there was a small bar that many got together at to enjoy some drinks and meet-up with fellow patrons. It was a shady looking establishment with a front door that was hanging off it's ridges and broken windows that were vandalized from delinquents throwing stones at them. A great deal of people were there drinking their sorrows away and causing a ruckus loud enough to wake someone up from a hundred miles away. In the corner of the bar was a counter-top that people could order drinks from where Grant sat quietly alone. He was uncharacteristically keeping to himself this time rather than chatting up a storm with the bartender or playing a game of billiards with some fellow bar-goers.

"Grant, what's the problem? You're usually not this down in the dumps" said the bartender.

"It's nothing Al, can you please get me another drink?" Grant stated with a hint of melancholy in his voice.

Al just shrugged and poured Grant another glass of a brightly-colored drink in a cup with a bendy straw. As he passed the drink to him, Grant pulled out a wad of dollars from his pocket and put them in the bartender's hand.

"You may wanna scoot over there buddy, someone's coming" Al said as he began wiping the counter-top. 

Grant turned his head and widened his eyes in surprise as he noticed Dick coming to sit next to him. Dick's civilian wear consisted of a old, battered black leather jacket that had a navy blue v-neck t-shirt underneath and a pair of grey, skinny jeans. He also wore a pair of ankle-high leather boots that wear greatly worn-out and had specks of dirt and muck on them. Dick took a set next to Grant and waved down the bartender to order a drink.

"A scotch on the rocks please" Dick said slipping a twenty dollar bill into Al's hand. 

"What are you doing here Dick?" Grant stated not trying to hide his annoyance at Dick being here. 

"I wanted to check on you after you ran out today on The Team, Conner and M'gann were worried about you". 

"Well tell them I'm fine, it's nothing that concerns them". 

Dick was genuinely perplexed by Grant's out-of-behavior disposition. He was always so positive and cheerful and he was acting like something was really getting on his nerves.

"Is it Deathstroke?"

Grant immediately shot up and looked at Dick with a look of complete horror on his face. How did he know that his father was one of the most dangerous men on earth? Did this mean that Dick was going to revoke his great privilege of being the second Nightwing?

"How did you know?!"

"I'm the protege of the world's greatest detective, you don't think I was going to do my research before I chose you as my successor?"

Grant started to sweat a bit as he didn't think _anyone_ really knew about his heritage. He was adamant about being a different person from his father and he didn't want Dick, Kaldur, or The Team to think he was the same monster as his father. 

"Don't worry Grant, no one else knows except me" Dick stated as he placed his hand on Grant's shoulder.

"Why did you even consider choosing someone to take on the Nightwing mantle if they were the son of pure evil?" Grant coldly said.

"Because I knew that unlike your father, you have potential to be one legitimately good person who can do incredible, amazing things. You shouldn't be too down on yourself just because your dad is Deathstroke the Terminator. I think it'd be best for you to tell the others in the future about your dad, but it doesn't have to be right now. Take as much time as you need before you're comfortable with letting people in to see the good guy you truly are." 

Grant contemplated about this for a brief moment as he looked over at Dick. He was giving him a warm smile and his eyes held no sort of malice whatsoever as he took a sip of his scotch. Grant knew at that moment that Dick wasn't trying to deceive him about coming clean or why he chose him as the next Nightwing. 

"You really don't think The Team will care?"

"Grant, they'll always respect and care about you no matter what and any information you can give us right now would be of great assistance to us in the future of taking down meta-human traffickers, the League of Shadows, and maybe even The Light."

Grant took one last big sip of his drink from his bendy straw as he looked at Dick with a determined gaze.

"You know what? What the hey? Tonight, we'll round up the entire Team and I'll reveal to them my family line and tell them anything I know about the League!"

"Good man, I knew I could count on you" Dick stated as he playfully punched Grant in the shoulder. 

"Before we head out and get suited up, what exactly are you drinking Grant?" said Dick pointing to his glass.

"It's just orange juice with a cool, twirly straw! I can't stand the taste of beer, it tastes like a filthy hobo wrapped in a soggy, cotton blanket. How's your scotch? Let me try some!"

As Dick passed Grant his shot glass of scotch, Grant took the smallest sip and instantly spat it back out into his glass. 

"YOU DRINK THAT STUFF?! That was like a rotten buffalo carcass stuffed with eight-month old gorgonzola cheese!" 

Grant gave Dick's glass back to him as he gave a disgusted look at him and pushed it to the end of the counter-top.

"Remind me to never take you to a wine mixer event" Dick said sarcastically.

"Gladly" Grant said as the two of them got up and left for The Watchtower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who took some time to read this! Like I said before, chapters will be coming out more frequently now, so expect more installments from TSoGW and Team Bonding incredibly soon!
> 
> In the comments below, tell me of any funny jokes or ideas you have for future storylines! I would love to insert more humorous moments between Grant and his friends. 
> 
> Peace, love, and life! <3


	11. Young Justice Outsiders Redux - Familial Love III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant decides to come clean to The Team about who he is and his heritage.

**THE WATCHTOWER**  
August 07, 23:00 EDT

It was late at night when The Team were summoned by Dick to The Watchtower and everyone was way too tired to comprehend why they were there. Tim and Cassie were discussing why Grant left the debriefing so early today with the former having a feeling they were there due to something Grant did. Virgil, Cissie, and Stephanie attempted to wake themselves up a bit by drinking some high-caffeinated beverages Cissie sneaked in without anyone noticing. Traci watched somewhat bewildered as Jaime and Bart were in the corner jokingly trying to gain some energy by slapping each other in the face. The newest recruits, Brion, Halo, and Forager, watched from a short distance trying to take in their surroundings as the Zeta-Tubes activated and Dick, Grant, Conner, M'gann, and Kaldur all came out of teleportation platforms. 

"Grant, that is the last time I allow you to drive us _anywhere_!" Dick stated quite frustrated. 

"Come on, it wasn't that bad was it?"

"Two hours of nothing but Backstreet Boys? Yeah, I think we'll all pass" Conner said with heavy sarcasm in his voice.

"Backstreet Boys? THAT WAS *NSYNC _,_ **YOU UNCULTURED SWINE!"**

"Enough!" Kaldur sternly yelled as his attention swerved to The Team

"Team, I bet you're all wondering why you've been summoned here this late at night",

"Yeah, I need my eight hours of beauty sleep you know!" Bart said half-jokingly.

"Uh, I think you probably need more than eight" Jaime teased as his boyfriend elbowed him in the ribs.

"Grant wants to tell us some information that could be vital to our future endeavors as a team" M'gann replied.

"Is this about that growth on his back again? For the last time, it does not look a young Steve Buscemi!" said Tim.

"While Lil' Stevie going to be looked at by a doctor soon, that's not why I called this meeting. I wanted you all here today because I haven't been too honest with you about who I am."

The Team exchanged surprised and puzzled glances as Grant braced himself for the reactions he's expecting to get. Dick and M'gann both place their hands on his shoulders to kindly assure him that they have his back no matter what.

"My father is Deathstroke" Grant said attempting to rip off the band-aid quickly.

Everyone was shocked by this revelation, no one could truly believe that someone who's as ruthless and callous as Deathstroke could be the father to Grant who's much more warm and bumbling. Tim attempted to speak up and respond to this reveal, but Grant raised his hand up to silence him as he expected him to say something either hurtful or incredibly irritating to him. 

"Please let me explain, I was born twenty years ago to my father, Slade, and my mother, Adelaide, who was a servant to him at the time. My father had to leave my mother and I when I was no more than a year old to serve the League of Shadows in a higher position. Considering how my mother couldn't really raise a child on her own, I was sent to the St. Erebus orphanage where I was raised there until I was eighteen."

Traci slowly began to raise her hand as if she was in a classroom, "How exactly do you know all of this about your past?"

"I'll get to that momentarily, I honestly don't have much recollection of my time at St. Erebus. Everything is kind of a blur for some reason when I try to recall my prior experiences with that orphanage. No more than two years ago when I left and set up my own place, I began to receive letters and the occasional visit from my father. He never really seemed to saddened by that fact that he didn't get a chance to see me grow up. All that he wanted to do in his own words was to give me knowledge of my origins and attempted to offer me a place training alongside him and my siblings."

"Wait, siblings?" Cassie said quite surprised.

"Apparently, my father had relations with another woman after leaving my mother and had two children with her, Rose and Joey. I don't really have much information on them either unfortunately besides the fact that the former is _really_ wanting to follow in my father's footsteps. Honestly, I did consider taking on his offer to learn from him, but it wasn't until Dick here approached me with the chance to do good as a hero rather than a murderous psychopath." 

No one knew how to respond to this overload of shocking information. Some of The Team just looked at Grant with bewilderment in their eyes while some glanced to the side pondering about what he just told them. These were honestly the types of reactions Grant expected to get until Tim spoke up.

"I knew" Tim stated as everyone looked at him with confusion and slight annoyance that he didn't tell anyone.

"Hey, I'm a detective, but it never mattered. You aren't your family. You're one of us" Tim stated with genuine sincerity in his voice.

"OHHHH TIMMY D!" Grant cheerfully exclaimed as he began to walk over to him for a hug.

"Hug me and I'll stick my fist so far up your butt, you'll know what it feels like to be a Muppet" said Tim angrily as he pulled out a Birdarang to threaten him with. 

Grant immediately backed off.

"Grant, you know you could have told us much sooner about this" M'gann said with Conner nodding wholeheartedly beside her.

"I didn't want anyone to see me any differently, I worried you'd all see me like my father"

"As I've stated before dude, you are absolutely nothing like your father" said Dick as Grant glanced around to see The Team agreeing with him. 

"Deathstroke is a murderous assassin with zero morals or empathy, if you were anything like him, we wouldn't have allowed you on this team. Grant, you're a good man with a kind heart, never doubt yourself on that" stated Kaldur with a cool-head. 

"What if I ever become like him though? What if I inadvertently become what I so desperately don't want to be?" 

"Trust us, we'll make sure that doesn't happen to you" Dick said gently punching his arm. 

"On to more important matters, is there anything you can potentially share with us that can help take down the League of Shadows?" Conner asked.

"I'd need to recollect my old letters, but I'm sure we can find something that can help us". 

"You know, if she's open to it, I know someone who can relate to your situation who could also be of great assistance to our cause" M'gann said thinking about someone specific in mind.

"If it's that Tigress chick, I will _gladly_ allow her to rejoin The Team" stated Grant as he wiggled his eyebrows with "interest".

M'gann proceeded to roll her eyes as Dick smiled at Grant and the other members of The Team.

"See? There was no reason to worry, we're all here for you until the very end" Dick said as he wrapped his arm around Grant's shoulders.

"Forget about who your family once was. We're your family now and in this family, we always stick together" said Conner tenderly.

Grant felt at ease knowing he had such fantastic people like Dick, Kaldur, M'gann, and The Team in his corner. It was time to stop hiding from who he once was and embrace the person he was so destined to become. 

"Alright then, let's get to work!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for sticking around for the conclusion of this chapter. A new one-shot will be after this installment before we get back to the story (which may or may not have a small time skip), Until then everyone, feel free to leave a comment and a kudos!
> 
> Peace, love, and life! <3 - CF


End file.
